Elevating and supporting device



April 23, 1957 Filed April 5, 1955 J. H. VAN ORDT ELEVATING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

April 23, 1957 J. H. VAN ORDT ELEVATING AND SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed April 5,1955

INVENTOR. .%m a

and arranged around the opening 32 for selective engagement with a lug or ear 36 of the bracket 18, and the plate 30 is biased by a spring 38 to locked position with the ear 36 received in any desired opening 34 to anchor the plate 30 to the bracket 18 against rotative movement relative thereto in any preselected rotative position of the plate 30 and pin 26.

The spring 38 is retained under compression by a parti-annular novel spring washer 40 having its free ends terminating in lugs 42 (Fig. 6) snapped into a pair of notches'or grooves 43 in one side of pin portion 28 which also has an elongated groove or slot 44 receiving a complementary tongue or lug 46 of the washer 40 to hold the latter against rotational movement relative to the pin 26 for convenient rem-oval therefrom.

The notches '43 are aligned with a pair'of notches 45 in the opposite side of pin portion 28, whereby the washer 40 may be assembled therewith by inserting lugs 42 into said notches 45 and then forcing said lugs along arcuate cam surfaces 39- of the 'pin portion 28 into the notches 43 wherein the lugs are held by the spring action of the washer 40. By means of this novel arrangement, the washer 40 is positively interlocked with the pin portion 28 to hold the spring under compression against the plate 30. If desired, the pin portion 28 may be providedwith another pair of notches 45b and an aligned pair of notches 43a for convenient assembly of plate 30 at a position whereat greater compression of the spring is achieved. The washer 40 may be removed by forcing its lugs 42 along arcuate cam surfaces 41 of pin portion 28 and into the notches 45 whereupon pressure of the washer against the pin is released. A helical spring 47 is provided with a loop or book 48 or other suitable means to engage an arm or lever 50 having a pin or l-ug 52 received within the loop 48 for that purpose. The arm 50 is preferably afforded a rotatable pivot or fulcrum by the pin 26 which is received within an opening 53 of the arm 50 to afford a hinged connection between the arm and the bracket 18 on a hinge axis approximately parallel or if desired coaxial with that of the base 6. The opposite end of the spring 47: is provided with a hook or tongue 55 received within the groove 44 to anchor that end of the spring to the pin 26 against relative rotation about the axis thereof.

When the base 6 is at its lowermost position on its hinge axis as shown in Figure 3, the arm 50 is latched to render the spring 47 ineffective to urge the arm from the position illustrated in that figure. This is accomplished by a latch plate54 pivoted at 56 to a depending leg58 .of the bracket against the lower end of said arm 50. Thelatch plate 54 comprises a flange 59 which engages a lug .60 of the arm 50 within a recess or notch 62 in.the lower end thereof. When the flange '58 is thus engaged with the lug as shown in Figure 3, the arm 50 is positively latched in its retracted or lowermost position on its hinge axis, so that the spring 47 is rendered inelfective to bias the base 6 upwardly to the position of Figure 2.

The latch plate 54 is yieldingly held in the position of Figure 3 by a spring 63 sleeved over a release rod 64, one end of the spring 63 being seated against a top wall 66 of the bracket, and the other end of said spring being seated against a release button 67 attached to the release rod 64 at its upper end. The rod 64 extends through a complementary opening of the bracket wall 66 and is bent rearwardly below said wall to define a substantiallyhoriz-ontal leg or portion 70 of said rod which is also bent to define a substantially vertical leg or portion 72 connected at its lower end as by washers 74 to the latch plate 54 which is provided with an opening receiving the rod at its lower end. a I

When the button 67 is manually depressed to release position shown in Figure 2, the base 6 is urged upwardly as the latch flange 58 is released from the lug 60 to render the spring 47 efliectiv'e for the purpose of elevating the base 6. In this connection it is noted that the spring 47 is preferably adjusted as hereinafter described,.

to lift the weight of the base and the supported machine 4 to a position approximately ten degrees below the hori zontal, whereupon the base is manually lifted with the aid of the spring 47 to a point at which the lockboard 12 can be hinged to the position shown in the drawings; the

base 6 is then lowered to seat on the ledge 16 (Fig. 2) under sufiicien-t weight to minimize vibration during use of the machine.

It may be noted that the arm 50 is preferably provided with two antifriction bearing or rollers-76 and 78, the roller 76 engaging the base 6 when the latter is in its lowermost position shown in Figure 3, and the roller 78 engaging the base 6 when the latter is in its operative position of Fig. 2. This novel arrangement permits convenient mounting of the bracket 18 with the hinge or fulcrum axis of arm 50 either coaxial with or parallel to the hinge axis of the base 6, as may be desired. Obviously if only one roller 76 or 78 were providedthe hinge axis of the arm 50 would be limited to a position substantially coaxial with the hinge axis of the base 6. 1. many applications of such a device, this limitation would be inconvenient.

The pressure developedby arm 50 against the underside of the base 6 may be conveniently adjusted,preferably with the arm 50 approximately in the position of Figure 3. This adjustment is made by pulling the plate 30 axially of the pin 26 against the resistance of spring 38 until the ear 36 is released from the related plate opening 34, whereupon the plate 30 may be rotated in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 2 to increase pros sure of the arm 59 against base 6, or the plate 30 may be rotated in a counterclockwise direction to decrease said pressure. The car 36 is then positioned in another opening 34 by permitting the spring 38 to snap the plate to locked position.

Preferably, as above noted, the spring 47 is adjusted so that the arm 50, with the latch plate 54 released, is eifective to hold the base 6 slightly below the level shown in Figure 2, so that the base 6 develops a pressure of about two or three pounds against the ledge 16 when the base rests thereagainst as shown in Figure 2. This novel arrangement prevents vibration of the base 6 during use ofthe sewing machine 4 or any other device carried by thebase, and also accommodates support by spring 47 of they principal part of the weight of the base 6 andmachine 4.

In returning the machine 4 and base 6 to the position of Figure 3, the user raises the base 6 to a position whereat the lockboard 12 may be rotated on its hinges 14 to permit the base 6 to pass the ledge 16 as the base moves downwardly on its hinges-8. The base 6 and machine 4 .are then manually urged downwardlyuntil the lug 60 of arm 50 engages the latch plate flange 59, whereupon a cam surface 80 of the lug 60 depresses the latchplate 54 against the resistance of spring 63 which then snaps the latch plate into latched position within the recess 62 to hold the arm 50 in its lowermost position of Figure 3.

The parts of the novel unitary subassembly 2 may be assembled by inserting the pin 26 through the bracket openings 22 and 24, through the lever opening 53 and through the spring 47 with the hook 55 thereof in the pin slot 44. Further movement of the pin 26 to the right as seen in Figure 5 is limited by the small bracket opening 24. The pin portion 28 is then inserted in opening 32 ofplate 30 and is passed through the spring 38 whereupon, the washer 40 is assembled as above described to compress spring 38 against the plate 30.' The plate 30 is then rotated to a position whereat ear 36 is aligned with a selected opening34, and the plate is then released to permit the spring 38 to snap the plate to its locked plate 54 received in recess 62 of the arm. The unit is then "ready for assembly with any desired support and hinged structure. Disassembly of the unit for the purpose of repairs or replacement of a worn or damaged part may be accomplished by removing the washer 40 from pin portion 28 and disassembling the parts.

It may be noted that a primary purpose of the invention is to provide a device such as above described in the form of a unitary subassembly which can be installed and removed as a package; however various other features of the invention as heretofore described and as set forth in the claims may be utilized without despect to the advantages of such a unitary subassembly.

While the present invention has been explained and described with reference to specific embodiments of structure, it will be understood, nevertheless, that numerous modifications and variations are susceptible of being in corporated without departure from the essential spirit or. scope thereof.

Accordingly, it is not intended for an understanding of this invention to be limited by the foregoing description nor by the illustrations in the annexed drawings, except as indicated in the hereinafter appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. In a device for elevating and supporting a structure hinged to a support; the combination of a pin journalled to said support, a spring sleeved over said pin and connected to said structure for elevating the latter, means on said pin for rotating the latter to adjust the pressure of said spring against said structure, said means being movable axially of the pin into and out of engagement with means on said structure for locking the pin against rotation, and retaining means for holding said first-mentioned means in engagement with said locking means, said retaining means comprising grooves in the pin at one side thereof, and a parti-annular spring washer having its free ends snapped into said grooves, said pin having another pair of grooves at the opposite side thereof aligned with the first-mentioned grooves to receive said free ends of said washer during assembly and disassembly thereof with respect to said pin.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the washer is provided with a lug received within an axial slot in the pin to prevent relative rotation between the pin and washer.

3. In a device for elevating and bearing the weight of a structure hinged to a support; the combination of a pin having a substantially round portion journalled to the support, said pin having a non-round portion, a plate having a non-round opening complementary to and receiving said portion for slideable movement thereby axially of the pin, means on said support selectively engageable with means on said plate to lock the latter against rotation from a preselected rotative position thereof, spring means carried by said pin portion and compressed against the plate for urging its means against those of said support, a coiled spring sleeved over said round portion and keyed thereto, a lever having an arm journalled on said round portion and connected to the spring for actuation thereby, said lever being operatively connected to said structure for elevating the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 180,644 Sabin Aug. 1. 1876 541,474 Diehl et al. June 25, 1895 1,598,551 Brauning Aug. 31, 1926 1,769,964 'Reid July 8, 1930 2,026,454 Benzing Dec. 31, 1935 2,297,960 Hood Oct. 6, 1942 2,487,803 Heinmann Nov. 15, 1949 2,620,867 Rosenbaum Dec. 9, 1952 2,688,480 Pierce Sept. 7, 1954 2,700,585 Strocco Jan. 25, 1955 2,713,820 Horii July 26, 1955 

